Automatic musical instrument.



W. E'. BAYER. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION TILBD JAN.30,19114 Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

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7:15 Amare/s PETERS coPl-1orG-L/Tun., WASHING rom, u c

W. P. BAYER. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JAILBO, 1911 Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

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THE NoRRls PETERS C0., PHoTovL/rHa. wAsHlNcmN, D. C.

W. P. BAYER. AUTOMATIC MUSIGALINSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JAILSO, 1911,

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 YHE NoRrels PLrERs co., PHoToYL/rHo.. WASHING roN. u c.

W. 1. BAYER.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

, APPLICATION FILED JAN.30,1911. 1,1 07,571 Patented Aug. 18, 1914 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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THE AcRRls PETERS Co., PHnTo-LITHO, WASHINGTON, Dv C.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. BAYER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. BAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and StateA of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to player-pianos, piano players and similar musical instruments, and more particularly to instruments in which the main bellows and aociated parts are readily removable from the pianocase to facilitate the making of repairs and afford convenient access to the strings. In such instruments, as hitherto constructed, it is necessary in order to remove the main bellows, to disturb or remove the bearings of the rock shafts which carry the usual tempo, expression and rewind keys or levers whereby the valves of the air motor and the expression or accent devices are controlled.

The object of my invention is to so construct these controlling devices that the shaft bearings are allowed to remain intact and undisturbed when the bellows is removed, thus not only facilitating this operation but also maintaining the adjustment of the parts.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 4 sheets: Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a player-piano embodying the invention, with the lower front panel of the case removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional rear view of the lower portion of the instrument. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the main bellows and associated parts. Figs. 4 and 5 are horizontal sections on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front view of the air reservoir of the main bellows, omitting the motor, governor and expression devices to show the ports in the front wall thereof. Figs. 7 8 and 9 are vertical sections on the correspondingly-numbered lines in Fig. 4. Fig. 10 is a sectional front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of part of the valve-operating mechanism. Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the main bellows and the divided valve-operating shafts. Fig. 12 is a vertical section on line 12-12, Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a similar section on line 13-13, Fig. 12. Fig. 14 is a transverse section on line 14-14, Fig. 12. Fig. 15 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the clutches.

Similar letters of reference indicate cor- Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 30, 1911.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914. serial N6. 605,438.

responding parts throughout the several views.

A indicates the pumps of the main suction bellows of the instrument which are operated by the usual folding pedals A1.

B indicates the feeders and C the cus-v tomary air reservoir. D, D1 indicate independent air conduits or channels arranged on the upper rear side of said reservoir at or near opposite ends thereof, and d, d1 are tubes connecting said channels respectively with opposite ends of the usual main eX- haust chamber of the wind chest E. The channel D, which is preferably located at the left hand end of the reservoir C, is connected with the latter through an air governor or pressure regulator which maintains a uniform air tension or suction in the wind chest for comparatively soft playing and includes an accent port and valve by which the adjacent end of the wind chest may be placed in direct communication with the reservoir C for loud or accented playing. This governor and accent device may beof any suitable construction, but is preferably like that shown and described in Let- 1 ters Patent of the United States No. 961,335, granted to me June 14, 1910. As best shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7, F indicates the inlet chamber of this governor which communicates with the air channel D by an v accent port f; G its outlet chamber which connects with the air reservoir C by a port g; a. the accent port in the partition between the chambers F and G; h1 the sliding accent valve controlling said port, and I the governor bellows or penumatic communicating with the outlet chamber G by a port z' and with the air channel D by a port l independent of the accent port f.

In the operation of the instrument, the movable wall of the governor bellows approaches the face of the block i2 containing the port z' more or less closely, thus equalizing the air tension in the wind chest, as more fully described in the above-mentioned Letters Patent. To accentuate any desired notes or passages of the music, the accent valve h is opened more or less, thus placing the air channel D and the corresponding end of the wind chest in direct communication with the air reservoir C and causing the instrument to play with corresponding loudness.

j indicates the cut olf valve applied to the port g of the air' reservoir, .this valve being normally open. During the rewinding of the customary music sheet, said valve is closed to cut ofi the bass section of the wind chest from the main bellows. In order to provide a short and direct course for the wind between the opposite or treble end of the wind chest and the air reservoir C for accentuation and. loud playing, l employ the channel D1 in combination with an accent valve 7c corresponding to the accent valve 7t1, and a cut-off valve Z corresponding to the cut-off valve j. The accent valve 7c is arranged in a horizontal case 7c1 applied to the rear side of the channel D1 and to an auxiliary or connecting chamber 7a2 arranged on the rear side of the front wall of the air reservoir C beside the channel D1, as seen in Figs. 4 and 8. Forts 7e3, 7124 connect the chamber 701 with the channels D] and 702, respectively, the accent valve 76 being applied to said port 754. The cut off valve Z is arranged in a case L applied to the front wall of the air reservoir C and controls a corresponding port Z2 in said wall. Above the port Z2 is another valveless port Z3 which constantly connects the chamber 7a2 with the cut-oft' case or chamber L, as shown in Fig. 8.

1When the cut-off valve Z and the corre-y sponding accent valve c are opened, as shown in Figs. a and 5, the air is exhausted from the treble end of the wind chest through the tube cZl, channel D1, port 7c3, valve-case 761, accent-port 7a4, chamber 762, and ports Z3, Z2. In the preferred construction shown in the drawings, the two accent valves 7L1 and 7c are connected to move in unison, so that they may be opened and closed simultaneously, and the two cut-0E valves j and Z are likewise coupled. Accordingly, as shown in Figs. 3 and Il, the stems of said accent valves are connected by links m, m1 with arms m2, m3, secured to a horizontal rock shaft m4 arranged under the key table and having an operating key or linger m5 arranged at the front of the instrument. A spring m6 serves to return the accent finger m5 and connected parts to their initial position. As best shown in Fig. 10, this spring is interposed between a fixed bracket m7 and a collar m8 secured to a rod m9 O'uided in said bracket and attached to l a c l i air reservoir, pumps, ieeders and other an arm of said shaft.

The stems of the two cut-off valves j and Z are operated from a horizontal rewind shaft fn, through the medium of an upright rock shaft nl having an arm n2 with which said stems are connected by links n3, at. This upright shaft is connected with the rewind shaft n by arms o, 01 and a link 02, Fig. l1. under the key table parallel with the Ishaft m4 and provided with the usual operating key or finger a5. Connected with the upright shaft nl by an arm 29 and a link 291, is

The rewind shaft is arranged the stem p2 of the usual rewind valve of the governor P which controls the air motor of the music sheet, whereby the rewind valve is opened simultaneously with the closing of the cut-off valves and Z.

Attached to an arm 293 of the rewind shaft is a rod or link pt which at its opposite end is connected to a connection 295 by which is shifted the usual rewind gearing of the music sheet which gearing is not shown in the drawings and forms no part of this invention. f

It will be understood from the foregoing, that for accent purposes or loud playing, each end or half of the wind. chest has its own independent and direct connection with the main suction bellows, the one through the accent port 7b of the pressure regulator or governor and the other through thported chambers D1, 761, 762 and L as hereinbefore described; also that the two end-portions of the wind chest have separate cutolf valves j and Z. By providing such direct accent passages between both ends of the wind chest and the main bellows, instead of a single connection at one end thereof, the travel of the wind to both the treble and bass sections of the pneumatic action is correspondingly shortened and an ample quantity is supplied to each, thus rendering all parts of the action promptly responsive to the opening of the accent valves, and permitting an almost instantaneous change from soft to loud playing' or vice versa, if desired.

g indicates the tempo-key or finger mounted on a horizontal rock shaft g1 similar to the shafts m4 and a and preferably located between the latter, as shown. rlhe stem g2 of the usual tempo regulating valve (not shown) is connected by a link Q3 with a rock arm g4 on the shaft g1.

Q5 is the rod or connection leading from an arm QG on the tempo-shaft Q1 to the customary tempo-indicator.

7 indicates the usual rock shaft by which the customary damper-levers are operated and which is journaled on the underside of the key table; and ris the connection leading from an arm r2 on said shaft to the usual operating element of said levers.

The entire bellows structure, including the y parts mounted thereon, is removably secured in the piano case. For this purpose said structure is fitted between a pair of uprights or posts s, suitably secured to the oor of the case and the underside of the key table, being held in position by removable pins S1 passing through the sides of the posts and entering holes in the side walls of the bellows, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or by other suitable means.

To permit the removal of the bellowsstructure without disturbing the bearings-of the several shafts m, g1 and n, the latter are divided into separable front and rear sections, as shown in Fig. 11, and their rear sections are mounted in ahorizontal supporting frame T secured to the upper front portion of the air reservoir or other rigid part of the bellows structure while their front sections are supported in bearings u secured to the underside of the key-table, which is shown by dotted lines in Fig. ll. The supporting frame T may be of any suitable construction, that. shown in the drawings comprising spaced longitudinal bars t and transverse tie rods t1. This frame also carries the upright rock shaft nl.

The front and rear sections of the horizontal shafts m4, g1 and n are normally connected together by clutches or couplings of any suitable construction. In the preferred construction shown in the drawings, the rear section of each of said shafts has in its front end a mortise o which receives a tenon or flattened portion o1 at the rear end of a clutch-collar v2 slidable on the front shaft section and normally clamped thereon by a set screw fus. This collar preferably has a sleeve or tubular extension of which overlaps the rear section of the shaft and serves to retain the coupled sections in alinement. This construction, while compelling the two parts of the shafts to turn together, permits their disconnection by a longitudinal movement of one part on the other.

To remove the bellows-structure, the pins s are withdrawn, the tubes d, Z1 are detached from the side walls of the air reservoir C, the collars o2 are released and slid forwardly, and the connecting rods p, g5 and 1'1 extending normally across the bellows-structure are detached from the respective shaftarms, whereupon the latter can be withdrawn from the piano-case. After replacing the bellows, the sections of the several shafts are re-coupled by sliding the collars v2 rearwardly, and the removed and. detached parts above mentioned are replaced By mounting said valve-operating shafts partly on the main bellows and artly on the piano-case or key-table, the be lows can be readily installed and removed, when required, without the necessity of removing the shafts or parts of their bearings from the underside of the key-table, retaining the parts in proper adjustment as well as facilitating the removal of the bellows and effecting an important saving in time.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of an inclosing case having-an overhanging part, a main bellowsstructure removably arranged in the case below said overhanging part, an accessory cooperating with said bellows, a valve controlling said accessory, an operating shaft for said valve composed of a rear section carried by said bellows-structure and a front section supported on the underside of said overhanging part in alinement with said rear section, and means for separably connecting said shaft-sections.

2. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of an inclosing case having an overhanging part, a main bellows-structure removably arranged in the case below said overhanging part, a plurality of accessories cooperating with the bellowsstructure, valves controlling said accessories, a supporting frame secured to and projecting forwardly from the bellows-structure adjacent to said overhanging part, and a plurality of actuating shafts for said valves, each composed of a rear section journaled in said frame and a front section separably connected with the rear section and journaled on the underside of said overhanging art.

p 8. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of an inclosing case having a key-table, a main bellows-structure removably arranged therein belowsaid table, a plurality of accessories cooperating with the bellows-structure, valves controlling said accessories, a supporting frame secured to the front of the bellows-structure adjacent to the underside of the key-table, a plurality of actuating shafts for said valves, each comprising separable front and rear sections, the rear sections of the several shafts being carried by said frame and their front sect-ions by the key-table, and coupling means for the sections of said shafts.

Vitness my hand this 21st day of J anuary, 1911.

WILLIAM F. BAYER.

Witnesses:

C. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM.

Copies ot this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

